Chapter 57

Since [Ghost Domination] was upgraded to LV6, the following line appeared in its skill description:

"It can also awaken spirits with simple consciousness that exist within its range, and gain control over and manipulate them!"

If Adrian had created the Ghost himself using his abilities, he wouldn't have done this.

However, the spirits that originally existed in the world, after being awakened by Adrian using the Hollow-Hollow Fruit's power, are not extensions of his body or spirit; they merely possess the Domination Authority these spirits!

These [spirits] are essentially still spiritual products born under various complex conditions, and have no relation Beli Adrian. Even if they ate Devil Fruit, it would only give them a new ability!

Feeding the [Castle-Castle Fruit] to the awakened [spirit]—that's Adrian's real plan!

However, such spirits are rare and hard to come by, and Adrian wouldn't even look down on those ordinary ones.

But there is another type of spirit in the world of Pirate King that perfectly suits his needs— the Ship Spirit!

[Chapter 104. News of the Pirate King's Ship]

Ship Spirit, also known as "Ship Spirit," are one of the ancient legends passed down through generations on the high seas, and are a perennial topic of conversation among Shipwright.

According to legend, Ship Spirit are spirits created from the crew's mutual care and love for the ship. When a ship becomes close enough to its crew, it will transform into Ship Spirit to repay their kindness.

However, there are other stories that Ship Spirit are actually tree spirits. If someone cuts down a tree and builds a ship, the Ship Spirit will secretly follow that person onto the ship and protect the crew and ensure a safe journey.

Adrian didn't know much about Ship Spirit either, since there was very little information in the original work. The only thing he could confirm was that Ship Spirit do exist in the world.

That's enough!

In the original story, both of the ships Luffy experienced— the Going Merry and the Thousand Sunny —gave birth to ship spirits.

Especially the Merry fairy, amidst the swirling snowflakes, ignites a raging fire and sinks into the deep sea; the feeling of happiness and sorrow practically leaps off the page!

But with nearly twenty years until the Child of Destiny sets sail, Adrian has neither the time nor the interest to wait for the appearance of the Going Merry Ship Spirit.

Wouldn't it be better to just take what's readily available?

If the third generation of Straw Hat Boy could infect and infuse his spirit and beliefs into the ship, Ship Spirit would be born.

There's no reason why the Pirates ships of the Second-Generation Straw Hat Boy, the first-generation Straw Hat Boy Luffy, or even the legendary and ethereal First Straw Hat Boy wouldn't have Ship Spirit!

The Red Hair Pirates' [Red Voss]!

The Roger Pirates ' [Oro Jackson]!

The possibility of Ship Spirit being born on these two famous Pirates ships is extremely high!

Due to time constraints, the former has not yet appeared.

However, there has never been any rumor that Roger's "Oro Jackson" has been destroyed by the World Government or the Navy!

Upon hearing Adrian's words, a faint glint of surprise appeared in Crocus's eyes. "Young man, it's a pleasure to meet you. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

Adrian patted his forehead, somewhat apologetically, and said, "Sorry, I accidentally overlooked that. I am Adrian, from the West Blue. Of course, Mr. Crocus might be more familiar with my other name: White Ghost."

Crocus understood immediately and said, "So it's Mr. Ghost who did something amazing in the South Blue a while ago. No wonder he looked familiar... But, this old guy who spends all his time hiding in Twin Capes watching the lighthouse has no idea what this 'Auro Jackson' you're talking about is."

Adrian chuckled and said, "Mr. Crocus, you jest. As the Ship Doctor for the Roger Pirates, how could I not know what kind of ship I'm on?"

Crocus's expression suddenly changed. He straightened his upper body, his expression serious, and he exuded an inviolable and awe-inspiring aura.

"Don't worry, I have no ill intentions towards the Roger Pirates," Adrian waved his hand and said, "Besides, I met Gol D. Roger's wife not long ago..."

"That scared me to death! I thought the infamous White Ghost would be dealing with an old guy—"

Crocus had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly heard the second half of Adrian's words, and he was instantly dumbfounded.

"What?! Captain Roger's wife?!"

"Yes..." Adrian glanced at the utterly shocked Crocus and asked knowingly, "Surely even your own Roger Pirates don't know that Roger married and had children in the last year of his life?"

"What?! Captain Roger has children?!"

Crocus's shock at this moment was no less than when Roger simply told him, "Disband the Pirates crew here!" after they successfully arrived at Laugh Tale!

Adrian said with a wicked grin, "Well, Roger's wife is named Portgas D. Rouge, and she and her unborn child are currently under the care of the Hero of the Marines Monkey D. Garp."

Crocus scratched his head in obvious pain, as if he couldn't process such a wealth of information in a short time.

"Garp?? Wait a minute! Let me catch my breath!"

"Oh right, you also said Captain Roger's child hasn't been born yet? But it's been so long since the Execution in Loguetown..."

"Yes, almost ten months have passed since that day, but Roger's child still hasn't been born," Adrian said. "That's precisely Rouge so remarkable. I believe Mr. Crocus, as Doctor, should understand just how incredible this is for a pregnant woman."

However, there were some things Adrian didn't say.

Ace's birthday is January 1st, 1500 in the Sea Circle Calendar, a day that symbolizes the "beginning of a new era"!

This also indicates that Portgas D. Ace and Portgas D. Ann were gestating in their mother's womb for at least fifteen months!

Rouge's actions can only be described as a miracle!

Crocus suddenly stood up and ran towards the Lighthouse Keeper's Hut behind him. A short while later, he came out carrying a huge dark green bottle filled with Rum.

Thumbs up!

After downing more than half a bottle of wine in one go, Crocus's face was slightly flushed, with a reddish blush rising on his cheeks.

"White Ghost, I don't know why you found out about Rouge, or how you knew about this old man's past." Crocus paused, letting out a loud burp, "But I'm still very grateful that you told me this!"

Adrian smiled nonchalantly, anticipating what would follow.

"In that case, I won't hide anything anymore!" Crocus said. "Although I don't know why you want to know about the Oro Jackson, I'm willing to tell you what I know."

"After Captain Roger disembarked, First Mate Silvers Rayleigh led the remaining crew on a continued voyage. If you ever manage to find Rayleigh, you will surely learn the true whereabouts of the Oro Jackson!"

Adrian blinked.

The old Ship Doctor drank and was moved, but after talking for a long time, he didn't reveal any useful information!

He couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Crocus, don't you know any more specific information?"

"I disembarked quite early, only two little... cough cough!" Crocus realized he'd misspoke and immediately took another big gulp of Rum. "Anyway, that's all I know! If you want more details, go find Rayleigh yourself!"

[Chapter 102 [Navigator] Upgrade Quest]

Seeing Crocus's feigned ignorance, saying "I don't know anything, don't ask me," Adrian was at a loss. He couldn't very well beat up this man in his fifties and force him to reveal information, could he?

No, it's really not that bad.

Even though I do have a bit of an idea to do that...

Adrian paused for a moment, then said, "Mr. Crocus, if this is truly all the information you have, then I'll have to trouble you with something else."

Crocus nodded casually and said, "Go ahead."

Given the earth-shattering news Adrian had just revealed, Crocus was quite willing to offer him any assistance he could.

Of course, if it involves the Roger Pirates, then let's forget about it...

He, Crocus, was really just a lighthouse keeper at Twin Capes who had some medical knowledge.

What about Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King? What about Laugh Tale, the Laugh Tale? What about the "Void Century"? What about the "D. Clan"? What about the "Ancient Weapon"? What about the "True One Piece"...?

I've never even heard of that before!

"I'm a rookie Pirates who's never been to the Grand Line before, and I don't have Log Pose with me."

At this moment, Adrian completely forgot his past, that he had come to the West Blue from the Grand Line.

Do you have any unused Log Pose here?

Crocus took a sip of his drink and chuckled, "I have two more Eternal Pose here. They're just gathering dust in the warehouse anyway. Take whichever one you like later, or even both if you want."

Adrian looked satisfied. "That's wonderful."

In this world, pointers also come in different types.

In the four major outer seas, the magnetic field is regular, and a simple compass is sufficient for people to navigate smoothly on the sea.

However, once you reach the Grand Line, ordinary compasses become ineffective.

When sailing the Grand Line, the islands within different routes emit different magnetic fields, which can severely interfere with the direction of a regular compass. Therefore, it is necessary to rely on Log Pose to find the correct direction of navigation.

And in the New World, the latter half of the Grand Line.

A single Log Pose is ineffective. To navigate smoothly in the New World, a more specialized Log Pose is required. Typically, three different pointers exist on a single dial to jointly confirm the direction of the navigation route.

Above the Log Pose is what Crocus calls the "Eternal Pose".

Eternal Pose will always point to a specific island and will not be affected by any island's magnetic field. If it is not destroyed, the direction of the Eternal Pose will never change.

Adrian asked, "I wonder which island Mr. Crocus's two Eternal Pose are pointing to?"

"Let me think...it's been so long since I used them..." Crocus scratched his half-petal-like hair, recalling, "It seems one was Eternal Pose to the Drum Kingdom, and the other pointed to the Sabaody Archipelago!"

Adrian pondered for a moment, then said, "The Medical Kingdom and the Bubble Islands?"

Crocus glanced at him with some surprise. "I didn't expect that you, a 'newcomer,' would know so much about the Grand Line!"

Adrian evaded the question by saying, "As I just said, I did my homework beforehand."

Crocus shook his head and took another swig of wine.

If someone had truly done their homework beforehand, how could they have set off for the Grand Line without even bringing the most basic Log Pose?

Log Pose, which are used only in the Grand Line, are relatively difficult to obtain in the four outer seas, but they are not particularly rare.

However, everyone has secrets, White Ghost it's his prerogative to choose not to talk about them.

Just like Crocus himself, didn't he also conceal his glorious and romantic past?

"By the way, although I have Eternal Pose that can directly guide you to the end of Paradise — the Sabaody Archipelago," Crocus asked, "Which route do you plan to choose?"

The first half of the Grand Line can be roughly divided into seven different routes, each with a certain number of islands.

For most Pirates crews, once they choose a route from the Twin Capes of Reverse Mountain, there's basically no way to change it afterward.

But for Adrian, flight restrictions were virtually nonexistent; if it weren't for the desire to enhance the experience, he could have flown directly from Reverse Mountain to the Sabaody Archipelago!

Furthermore, Adrian also had his own plans for this voyage along the Grand Line, and forcing him to follow a specific route would actually cause some problems.

Furthermore, with the existence of Eternal Pose, the concept of a specific flight path becomes even less important.

However, there's no need to say these things to Crocus.

After pretending to ponder for a moment, Adrian said, "Since there's a pointer to the Drum Kingdom, let's choose the route that leads to the Drum Kingdom. I also want to see the Doctor of the Medical Kingdom."

"My personal suggestion is that you'd better change ships as soon as possible." Crocus glanced towards the shore. "The unpredictable weather on the Grand Line is a bit too difficult for a small boat for one person."

Adrian nodded and said, "Crocus your guidance, Mr. Crocus. I will keep this in mind."

Even if Crocus didn't mention it, Water 7 was already part of Adrian's original plan!

Although he built his small boat himself, the Shipwright's skill level was not high, so he usually didn't encounter any problems when sailing in the West Blue.

However, the weather, currents, and winds along the Grand Line are almost chaotic, making the sailing environment extremely difficult.

Adrian admitted that he didn't have the same prestige as Hawk-Eye, the "World's Greatest Swordsman."

Therefore, changing ships is almost inevitable.

Afterwards, Adrian asked Crocus some questions about the Grand Line.

Even though he had already learned a lot from numerous nautical books, Crocus, the old Ship Doctor who had accompanied Roger on the entire Grand Line, still possessed far more experience and intelligence.

While the two were chatting, Crocus found two Eternal Pose and handed them over to Adrian.

After bidding farewell to Crocus and Twin Capes, Adrian slowly steered his small boat away.

At the same time, a message popped up on the panel.

[Detection indicates entry into the Grand Line]

[Detected that the [Navigator] skill and [Advanced Navigation are both at max level]

[You have triggered the B-rank Profession Upgrade Quest [Wind Tamer]!]

[Mission Requirements: Complete at least four Paradise routes by boat! And draw a map of the corresponding Sea Area!]

[Chapter 106. First Stop: The Drum Kingdom!]

Adrian was somewhat surprised to see the quest prompt suddenly pop up on the game panel.

But then he thought about it again and realized what was going on.

"As expected..."

"When I triggered the [Navigator] upgrade quest in Ohara, I wondered if there would be a follow-up upgrade Secondary Profession after Navigator, and now it seems there really is!"